BSA Sunbeam scooter.
Scooters remained popular throughout the 1950s and 1960s, and BSA Motorcycles Ltd of Waverley Works, Birmingham, wanted part of the action. They came up with the machine featured in these original price lists, namely the BSA Sunbeam. The scooter succumbed to the then-popular process of badge-engineering, and was also sold as the Triumph Tigress, only the badging and colour schemes on offer differentiating the two machines.
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The following price lists are printed on extremely thin paper, presumably given out to potential customers at BSA dealerships, and at sales shows that the company attended. The first, reference SC 184-76, is a price list current at July 26th 1961. Three models are listed,the 175cc two-stroke B1, the B2 with its 250cc OHV engine, and the B2S which was a B2 but with an electric starter. The reverse side is blank.
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The second price list dates to April 10th 1962. The basic retail price of all three versions remained unchanged, although the Purchase Tax reduced slightly between the two years' prices. On the reverse of the '62 copy is a list of factory-approved accessories, all designed to tempt the buyer into personalising their new BSA Sunbeam at the time of purchase. The full list is shown below, and these include such goodies as a chrome-plated front carrier, pannier bags, a spare wheel, a touring kit, and a windscreen.
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Production of the BSA Sunbeam began late in 1959. The 250cc twin version remained in production until 1964, while the smaller-capacity two-stroke 175cc continued into 1965 before finally being phased out.
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More old items relating to motoring can be found in the Motoring Collectables section of the site. These include a 1962 BSA Hire Purchase scheme leaflet.
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